Church reviews employment of former Toowoomba principal

The Catholic Church is reviewing the employment of former Toowoomba school principal Terence Hayes, who failed to report allegations of child sex abuse to police, reports The Courier-Mail.

The Queensland College of Teachers is also reviewing the way it handled Mr Hayes’ case in light of evidence heard at the royal commission into sex abuse.

The commission, sitting in Brisbane last month, heard Mr Hayes did not pass on critical information to police about pedophile Gerard Byrnes, who raped and assaulted 13 children at a Toowoomba Catholic primary school. Mr Hayes – now a teacher at St Eugene Catholic College in Burpengary – is on paid leave.

A spokesman for Catholic Education in the Brisbane diocese said Mr Hayes would remain on paid leave 'by mutual agreement' until an interim report by the commission was finalised 'in a month or so'.

His employment would be ­'reviewed' in the wake of the interim report from the royal commission, the spokesman said.

The Queensland College of Teachers, which investigated Mr Hayes over the Toowoomba incident, initially recommended he be reprimanded only regarding his actions at the school.